G1126 E-Reading Book Review of It's Murder, My Son By Lauren Carr

Name of Book:  It's Murder, My Son

Author: Lauren Carr

ISBN: B003TU1ZIO

Publisher: Acorn Services

Part of a Series: Mac Faraday Mysteries

Type of book: Spencer Maryland, heritage, wealth, money, murder, mystery, twists, clues, pets, disappearances, false identities

Year it was published: 2010

Summary:

What started out as the worst day of Mac Faraday’s life would end up being a new beginning.

After a messy divorce hearing, the last person that Mac wanted to see was another lawyer. Yet, this lawyer wore the expression of a child bursting to tell his secret. This covert would reveal Mac as heir to undreamed of fortunes, and lead him to the birthplace of America’s Queen of Mystery and an investigation that will unfold like one of her famous mystery novels.

Soon after she moves to her new lakefront home in Spencer, Maryland, multi-millionaire Katrina Singleton learns that life in an exclusive community is not all good. For some unknown reason, a strange man calling himself “Pay Back” begins stalking her.

When Katrina is found strangled all evidence points to her terrorist, who is nowhere to be found. Three months later the file on her murder is still open with only vague speculations from the local police department when Mac Faraday, sole heir to his unknown birth mother’s home and fortune, moves into the estate next door. Little does he know as he drives up to Spencer Manor that he is driving into a closed gate community that is hiding more suspicious deaths than his DC workload as a homicide detective. With the help of his late mother’s journal, this retired cop puts all his detective skills to work to pick up where the local investigators have left off to follow the clues to Katrina’s killer.

Characters:

Main characters include Mac Faraday, a retired police officer who has recently learned that he has inherited an estate from a mother he never knew, as well as Archie Monday who was Robin's assistant and editor. David is Mac's half-brother who is apparently a ladies' man and who believes that justice should be met no matter what. There is, of course, Gnarly, but it seems as if he has a very rocky relationship with Mac in this particular novel. There are interesting secondary characters as well as the crooked cops, and so many twists that it becomes difficult to predict how the story will tie up together.

Theme:

Be careful not to step on wrong toes

Plot:

The story is in third person narrative from Mac's point of view. The plot and the events are definitely quick-paced and there are glimmers of a diamond within the pages because I felt really excited about reading the origin story of Mac Faraday, and was thrilled in learning more about his humble beginnings. I also liked the twists the author has presented when it came to mystery although, a lot of times I found myself unable to keep up with the logic that the characters went through.

Author Information:
(From iRead Book Tours)

Buy It's Murder My Son:
Amazon ~ Audible
Add to Goodreads

Meet the Author:

​Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries—over twenty titles across three fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!

Now, Lauren has added one more hit series to her list with the Chris Matheson Cold Case Mysteries. Set in the quaint West Virginia town of Harpers Ferry, Ice introduces Chris Matheson, a retired FBI agent, who joins forces with other law enforcement retirees to heat up those cold cases that keep them up at night.

Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr’s seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, crime fiction, police procedurals, romance, and humor.

​Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, and three dogs on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram
Opinion:

To be fair, my rating of this book isn't fair, because I have read her future novels, and I have seen how much her writing,  plot and characterization have matured over time. This particular book, IT'S MURDER, MY SON is perhaps her third novel, published in 2010,  seven years prior to me becoming addicted to her tales, and while it introduces our beloved characters in Mac, Archie Monday as well as the German shepherd Gnarly and Mac's half-brother David, the story lacked the focus on familial relationships and the characters aren't as complex as in the future novels. I also should mention that this is my second Mac Faraday book because the ones I read have dealt with Jessica,  Mac's daughter and her cases, as well as a book about Chris Matheson, and there is also TWOFER MURDER which combines all of the family members in solving two cases.

This is for iRead Book Tours

BOOK and AUDIOBOOK TOUR SCHEDULE:

May 1 - Library of Clean Reads - tour kick-off / giveaway
May 1 - My Reading Journeys - review of Winter Frost / giveaway
May 2 - Working Mommy Journal - review Winter Frost / giveaway
May 2 - Dab of Darkness Book Reviews - review of Winter Frost / giveaway
May 3 - Laura's Interests - review of ICE / giveaway
May 6 - Hall Ways Blog - review of Winter Frost / giveaway
May 7 - Words And Peace - book spotlight / giveaway
May 7 - Life as Leels - review of ICE
May 8 - Kristin’s Novel Café - review of Winter Frost
May 9 - Locks, Hooks and Books - review of ICE / giveaway
May 10 - Bound 4 Escape - review of Winter Frost / giveaway
May 14 - JB's Bookworms with Brandy Mulder - review of Winter Frost / giveaway
May 15 - JB's Bookworms with Brandy Mulder - review of Crimes Past / giveaway
May 15 - Nighttime Reading Center - review of Winter Frost / giveaway
May 16 - Locks, Hooks and Books - review of Winter Frost / giveaway
May 16 - Life as Leels - review of Winter Frost
May 17 - Seaside Book Nook - review of Winter Frost / giveaway
May 20 - Elizabeth McKenna Romance Author - book spotlight / giveaway
May 20 - Laura's Interests - review of Winter Frost / giveaway
May 21 - Bound 4 Escape - review of It's Murder My Son / giveaway
May 21 - Blooming with Books - review of Winter Frost / giveaway
May 23 - StoreyBook Reviews - book spotlight / giveaway
May 23 - T's Stuff - review of Winter Frost / giveaway
May 24 - Svetlana's Reads and Views - review of It's Murder My Son / giveaway
May 24 - Dab of Darkness Book Reviews - review of It's Murder My Son / giveaway
May 24 - A Fountain of Books - review of ICE / giveaway
May 27 - A Fountain of Books - review of Winter Frost / giveaway
May 28 - Locks, Hooks and Books - review of It's Murder My Son / giveaway
May 28 - Buried Under Books - review of Winter Frost
May 29 - Life as Leels - review of It's Murder My Son
May 30 - Seaside Book Nook - review of It's Murder My Son / giveaway
May 30 - Readers' Muse - review of It's Murder My Son / giveaway
May 31 - Laura's Interests - review of It's Murder My Son / giveaway
June 3 - Bound 4 Escape - review of Crimes Past / giveaway
June 3 - Amy’s Booket List - review of ICE
June 4 - Locks, Hooks and Books - review of Crimes Past / giveaway
June 5 - Buried Under Books - review of Crimes Past
June 5 - Blooming with Books - review of Crimes Past / giveaway
June 6 - Nighttime Reading Center - review of Crimes Past / giveaway
June 6 - A Fountain of Books - review of It's Murder My Son / giveaway
June 6 - Readers' Muse - review of Crimes Past / giveaway
June 7 - Library of Clean Reads - It's Murder My Son / giveaway
June 10 - FUONLYKNEW - review of Winter Frost / giveaway
June 10 - Amy’s Booket List - review of Winter Frost
June 11 - Svetlana's Reads and Views - review of Winter Frost / giveaway
June 11 - Life as Leels - review of Crimes Past
June 12 - Library of Clean Reads - review of Winter Frost / giveaway
June 12 - Dab of Darkness Book Reviews - review of Crimes Past / giveaway
June 13 - FUONLYKNEW - review of It's Murder My Son / giveaway
June 13 - Readers' Muse - review of ICE / giveaway
June 14 - Mystery Suspense Reviews - review of Winter Frost
June 17 - Seaside Book Nook - review of Crimes Past / giveaway
June 17 - Amy’s Booket List - review of It's Murder My Son
June 18 - Laura's Interests - review of Crimes Past / giveaway
June 19 - A Fountain of Books - review of Crimes Past / giveaway
June 20 - Nighttime Reading Center - review of It's Murder My Son / giveaway
June 20 - Readers' Muse - review of Winter Frost / giveaway
June 21 - JBronder Book Reviews - review of It's Murder My Son / giveaway
June 24 - Mystery Suspense Reviews - review of Crimes Past
June 24 - Amy’s Booket List - review of Crimes Past
June 25 - Books for Books - book spotlight
June 26 - JBronder Book Reviews - review of Crimes Past / giveaway
June 27 - JBronder Book Reviews - review of Winter Frost / giveaway
June 27 - fundinmental - review of It's Murder My Son / giveaway
June 28 - Adventurous Jessy - review of Winter Frost / giveaway
3 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)